


How It Starts

by FlameBlownWhiter, nitpickyabouttrains



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Derek is a Failwolf, Don't blame us, Episode 4, I really thought there would be more kissing and less cuddling, Isaac walked in all wet, M/M, Pack Cuddles, Pack Dynamics, Season 3, This is a continuation, What else were we supposed to do, but what can you do
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-06
Updated: 2013-09-06
Packaged: 2017-12-25 19:32:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/956822
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlameBlownWhiter/pseuds/FlameBlownWhiter, https://archiveofourown.org/users/nitpickyabouttrains/pseuds/nitpickyabouttrains
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A continuation from Isaac walking into Scott's room dripping wet in "Unleashed" Season 3, Episode 4. </p><p>Scott gave the other boy a quick look over. Isaac was soaked through, his plain white t-shirt drenched and plastered to his skin. On the top of his head, Isaac’s golden curls were saturated with rain, heavy and dripping water onto the floor. Even his eyelashes had water droplets on them. And when Isaac glanced up, for just a second, Scott could have sworn he saw Isaac’s eyes glistening with tears that had yet to fall.</p><p>“I, uh,  was wondering if I could ask you a favor,” Isaac said, his voice low.</p>
            </blockquote>





	How It Starts

Sitting at his desk, Scott tried to concentrate on the books open in front of him. He had homework he should have been doing. It was part of improving himself, part of being a New Scott. He did his school work now, he concentrated on his studies. In theory, at least. On this night, Scott found his mind wandering.

The constant patter of rain against his window kept drawing Scott’s attention. It was a cool night, colder than it should have been for the time of the year, and the rain was relentless. It was the sort of night where Scott was happy to be home, safe and warm, and not running around outside with the other werewolves or wrapped up in a convoluted plan with Stiles. He did like those times, they were fun, but when the weather got rough and the night got dark, he was happy to have a safe haven.

Scott stared idly out the window, his thoughts drifting to those other werewolves. It was impossible to deny that Scott was stronger when he was around them. He had spent so long trying to deny it, trying to stay away from the pack. But he was, without question, better off with others.

He thought back to the night he found out Boyd had been turned. Boyd had said he did not want to be like Derek, he wanted to be like Scott. That moment had been empowering. Or when Isaac had come to the lacrosse finals, sat down next to Scott and told him he was there to win. And he had helped. Working with the others, as a team, it got things done.

The problem was that he was not very good at following. It did not come naturally to him. Scott had no problem with Derek, he knew the older wolf was doing his best. But being his Beta did not feel natural.

A knock came at the door and Scott ducked his head, looking away from the window and back at his work. He called out over his shoulder, “Come in, Mom.”

The door to Scott’s bedroom creaked open, and immediately Scott could sense it was not his mother. It was another werewolf. He turned to see and sure enough, there was Isaac, standing in his doorway. Isaac looked down, his head bent, not meeting Scott’s eyes.

Scott gave the other boy a quick look over. Isaac was soaked through, his plain white t-shirt drenched and plastered to his skin. On the top of his head, Isaac’s golden curls were saturated with rain, heavy and dripping water onto the floor. Even his eyelashes had water droplets on them. And when Isaac glanced up, for just a second, Scott could have sworn he saw Isaac’s eyes glistening with tears that had yet to fall.

“I, uh,  was wondering if I could ask you a favor,” Isaac said, his voice low.

Scott thought he detected a layer under Isaac’s voice, something that was not being said. He was not sure what it was, exactly. It seemed something like unhappiness. Maybe just a side effect of the discomfort he must have been in from the wet clothing.

“What favor?” Scott asked.

Isaac’s head was still tilted forward, but he lifted up his eyes to meet Scott’s when he said, “I need somewhere to crash.”

“I thought you were staying at Derek’s loft?” Scott pointed out.

Scott was dismayed to see that Isaac flinched at the sound of Derek’s name. Isaac shook his head, water droplets flying off of him as he did so, “Not anymore.”

Standing up from his desk, Scott took a step toward Isaac, who had still not moved from his place by the door. Scott closed the space between them. He was shorter then Isaac, but not by much. Just enough so that when he stood next to the other boy, he had to look up into his face. He did so now, finally seeing Isaac’s eyes. Isaac blinked,[ the blue so deep it was almost violet,](http://25.media.tumblr.com/237acfa176ef273435074481e0a3899c/tumblr_mo8lvlcN8D1qlyrm7o4_250.gif) shining and wet, and radiating a deep  sadness.

Scott reached out and laid what he hoped was a supportive ~~,~~ hand on Isaac’s upper arm. Under his hand, Scott could feel Isaac tense up from the unexpected contact, his muscles bunched and taut.

The dark-haired boy gave a tentative smile, “Of course you can stay.”

Scott's hand squeezed Isaac's arm, trying to reassure the slighter boy. The t-shirt under his hand was threadbare, barely serving as a layer between the warmth of Scott's palm and Isaac's cold skin. "Let's just run it by my mom."

Scott let his hand drop and took a step towards to door when Isaac stuck his arm out, his hand splayed wide to stop Scott, careful to avoid touching him.

"Do we have to?" Isaac's words came out quick, his tear drop eyes meeting Scott's in a silent plea.

Scott remembered, suddenly and sharply, that Isaac didn't have a mother, didn't really even remember her, and his _father.._. Scott inwardly grimaced.

Slowly, careful to not hurt the Beta's feelings, he brought his wrist up and moved Isaac's arm back to his side.

"Don't worry," Scott said, in a voice he hoped was warm and reassuring,  "my mom will totally understand."

"I'll totally understand what?" Melissa McCall's cascade of dark brown curls whipped into view just moments before she did. Her big brown eyes glanced expectantly at the boys, hands on her hips, and a thin mom-like smile on her face. "Is this some werewolf -"

"No, Mom, nothing like that." Scott's mom smiled fondly and with acceptance, and Scott found himself loving her even more, happy to just be able to share this part of his life with her. "I was just wondering if Isaac could stay over for a few days."

His mom took a second to really look at Isaac. She took in his wet, see-through clothes, the drop of his head, the curve of his shoulders - as if he was trying to protect himself - and frowned for a second before giving a sad sure nod. "Of course, let me just go get the futon mattress and bring it in here. Will that be okay for you, Isaac? I can make it up nicer tomorrow."

Isaac looked up at her, surprise in his wide blue eyes, "That - that would be wonderful Ms. McCall, thank you."

Scott beamed and edged his way out of his door past his mom. "I'll get the mattress, Mom." He couldn’t very well let his mother carry all that herself – not when it was literally nothing for him to do the same.

"Don't forget the blankets and pillows!" she called after him.

Scott hollered back, “What else are werewolf sons good for?”  He could easily hear Melissa’s surprised laugh as he walked into the spare bedroom. They never set up the bedroom properly. Scott couldn’t even call it a bedroom, it was mostly storage space filled with items from his childhood and objects that his Dad hadn’t taken – and that even with their history – Melissa just couldn’t throw away. He found the futon mattress – still wrapped in it’s original strings –in the closet, along with blankets, pillows, boxes of pictures, and some old coats.  

He smiled to himself when he heard his mom tell Isaac he was _a good kid_. He didn’t know if it counted as eavesdropping, listening in to his mom and another wolf, especially if that wolf was looking for his protection.  

“I heard what happened with your dad last year, if you ever need to talk - "  His mom’s heartbeat raced up, but she sounded calm. Isaac wouldn’t be fooled of course, but it was nice of her to try.

"Thanks Ms. M, but - " Isaac’s heart did a weird tick and started to slow down. _Not good_ , Scott grabbed the mattress and threw it over his shoulder. It weighed as much as Stiles, but felt like a pillow. Scott inwardly laughed, Stiles would hate being thought of as being as light as a pillow.  

"I understand, Isaac." Melissa swallowed, Scott could tell that she was tense, she smelled of it. "Offer is still on the table, if you ever want to take me up on it." He hurriedly piled sheets and blankets on top of the mattress. They kept falling down so he stuffed them under his free arm, tucked some pillow cases under his chin and grabbed the fluffiest pillow he saw between his middle and index finger. He probably looked like some sort of pillow fort come to life, a monster of poly-fibers and pillow puff, but he didn’t care – he needed to get back to Isaac.

He didn’t know why he felt such an intense need to protect Isaac. He wasn’t his Alpha, hell, he wasn’t anyone’s Alpha – for all technical purposes he was an Omega, not fit to really protect anyone. He didn’t know how Derek would feel about this. Scott sighed; he and Derek were just starting to understand each other, he didn’t really want to get on the Alpha’s bad side _again_.

Scott hurried and after a couple of ungraceful moments in the hallway, tripping over his own feet, he fell into the now silent room. He dropped the mattress and the bed clothes on top of it, looking up, smiling proudly for finally making it that far, his smile dropping to a frown when he looked at Isaac. He looked, oh shit, he looked like his mom did before his dad left, one harsh word away from breaking, but too strong to actually break.

"Mom!" Scott said, nasally, sounding nothing more than a petulant spoiled teenager. He looked at his mom meaningfully, communicating with her silently to give them some space. Thankfully, she took the hint.

"Fine, I'll leave you two to it then," she said, throwing her hands in the air with fake exasperation. "No chewing on the furniture."

Scott could hear the patented Melissa McCall gigglesnort as he slammed the door after her.

Isaac’s smell returned to normal, his heart steadying out, as nervousness left his body. Scott could practically hear his muscles unclenching.

Scott turned towards Isaac. His back was straighter, but his clothes were practically clear and stuck to him in patches. "Sorry about that, sometimes she's just such a, well, a mom." Scott smiled, proud of his mom, proud of their new relationship, and he couldn't help but hear that bit of admiration slip into his voice. "Let me get you some clothes."

Running over to his dresser, Scott pulled out the first things he saw without much care. Isaac had just seemed so miserable in those clothes, soaked through and uncomfortable. Scott should really have gone to get him a towel, he thought, but he did not want to leave to other boy alone to do so.

He turned and across the room, Isaac had shut the door.

He was leaning against it, his shoulder pressed into the wood, like the mere act of standing up had become too much too bear. Isaac was looking down again, his shoulders still hunched. Isaac did this a lot, Scott had noticed, fold in on himself, like he was trying to make himself as small as possible. Like he was trying to disappear.

Scott wanted to tell him that he could see him, that it was alright, that Isaac did not need to hide anymore. He wanted to tell him that there was nothing to worry about in this house. It was a strangely protective feeling. A surge of an unknown possessiveness. Scott was not sure where it had come from, it was like nothing he had felt before. A territorial need to make sure Isaac was fine and could not be hurt again. Almost like he was responsible for the other wolf. Almost like he was his leader. Almost like they were a pack and Scott was the Alpha.

“Here,” Scott said, tossing the clothes he had grabbed across the room.

Isaac reached out and caught them. “Thanks.”

Then Isaac dropped the fresh clothing on top of the desk he was standing next to. He reached down, grabbed the hem of the shirt he was wearing, and in one fluid motion pulled it over his head.

This was hardly the first time Isaac had undressed in front of Scott. They were teammates, after all, who spent a fair amount of time in the locker room together. You could not be self-conscious when you played[ lacrosse and ran track](http://thebacklot.mtvnimages.com/uploads/2013/06/disacc-gif.gif). But this night did not remind Scott of getting ready for a meet.

Instead, Scott flashed to the night in the veterinary clinic, when they had needed to make Isaac remember where Boyd and Erica were being kept. The tub of ice water stood gleaming in the dim room, while Deaton had explained what was going to happen. Isaac was risking his life, there were no sure results, but the blond boy did it anyway. Scott remembered the look on Isaac’s face as he had[ pulled his shirt off](http://static.tvtome.com/images/genie_images/news_hub/uploaded/priceiswrongnews137095417986/TeenWolf-3x02_isaac.gif), scared but willing. Brave.

That’s what it came down to, at the end of the day. It was brave to act like Isaac had. To be filled with trepidation but still follow through for the good of others. Scott did not know what had happened tonight, but he was willing to bet Isaac had still acted that way. He always did.

“Are you hungry?” Scott asked, eager to help more.

Isaac tugged on the fresh shirt, a cotton long sleeve t-shirt. The cuffs did not go all the way down to Isaac’s wrists, they stopped in the center of his forearm, too short to reach all the way. Scott forgot, sometimes, that Isaac was bigger than him, taller. It was because of how he held himself, shrinking his body to be as small as possible. But the shirt would do for the night, until they could get Isaac something that fit.

“No,” Isaac said, shaking his head ever so slightly. The movement made the particles of water that still clung to him spray off his head.

Drops hit Scott and he grinned, unable to help himself.

Picking up the second article of clothing that Scott had thrown at him, Isaac finally looked up at Scott. There was a small[ smirk playing at the corner of his mouth and humor danced in his cobalt eyes](http://www3.pictures.zimbio.com/bg/Daniel+Sharman+EqnDgl-TWJVm.jpg) for the first time since he had arrived.

“Huh,” Isaac said, holding up what appeared to be a pair of day-glow-green jean shorts, “these are an interesting choice.”

Scott could feel the flush burning in his cheeks, as they turned red and warm. “Oh, I didn’t mean…”

“Do you have anything less,” Isaac suggested, “neon?”

“Yeah, sorry,” Scott said, turning quickly back to his drawers to pull out something else for Isaac to wear to bed. “I wasn’t paying attention and I just grabbed what was on top.”

Isaac quirked an[ eyebrow at him](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m9pwgl3nNZ1r84ib3o1_500.jpg), “Do I even want to know?”

Scott could feel the blood rising to his cheeks.

“It was a uh, favor, to Stiles.” Scott rubbed the back of his neck, trying to hide his blush. Futile as it was. Scott busied himself with pulling out the most masculine pair of red basketball shorts the world had ever seen. He threw them at Isaac, trying not to look at the taller boy.

“A favor? Where were you, a rave? The gay club?” Isaac’s voice was full of joviality, but it didn’t matter, the truth hit home and Scott froze as he closed the drawer. “You were! What? Stilinski finally realized his crush on Danny was growing to Lydia-obsession proportions? Or was it you - ”

“No!” Scott flinched at his voice. “Not me, not that I wouldn’t, or that I would mind.” Scott sighed and decided to put down the shovel before he dug himself any deeper. Physically calming himself down he turned to Isaac, and with his best _I’m just a nice guy stance,_ hecontinued, “Just, Stiles needed some support, we were actually there for some info, he made friends with these drag queens -.” Scott leaned back closing the drawer the rest of the way. “Anyway, at least that is what he told me.”

Isaac’s face was one comment away from bursting out into hysterical laughter. His smile was thinned and long, but curled at the end, his cheeks pink with glee. “And you needed the green shorts because…”

Scott shrugged. “Stiles said something about blending in.” That did it, Isaac bent over, untamed laughter bursting from his gut. Scott smiled, he didn’t know why Isaac was laughing, all he knew was that he had been the cause, and a warm feeling of pride burst in him.

He leaned down and cut the futon mattress’ strings and watched it unfurl, throwing the pillows to the side. Scott gathered the blanket and shook it out until it lay neatly on the mattress. Werewolves don’t normally need blankets, but they like to nest, wrap themselves around something warm and soothing. Bodies work best, but since Alison and he broke up, blankets had done the job for Scott just fine.

"Thanks." Isaac said breathlessly, the laughter finally subsiding. Isaac was bent over, his hands on his knees, looking at Scott like he had just given him the world and shown him the secrets of Valhalla. Scott swallowed, warmth spread through him, the instinct to protect - no, he wasn't being honest with himself - the instinct to _keep_ and _own_ rising in him like the tide.

"Sure, man. No problem."

“Not just for the clothes, I mean,” Isaac said, the laughter draining from his voice, so he was beginning to sound serious again. “Thanks for letting me stay.”

Scott flashed a[ toothy grin](http://mtv.mtvnimages.com/uri/mgid:uma:video:mtv.com:832705?width=512&height=288) and repeated himself, “Sure, man. No problem.”

Scott knew he was lucky, he knew he was in a position that he shared with very few of his friends. He had a mother who loved him, who knew who he was and did not let that get in the way of their relationship. He had a house and a warm bed and food on the table, night after night. Isaac had none of those things.

Being a werewolf meant different things to Scott and Isaac. Being in a pack was not the same for Scott, who had someplace else to go, someone else to go home to. It was why Derek turned had Isaac in the first place, because Isaac needed somewhere to belong. Without a family, Isaac was loyal to what he did have. Isaac had been Derek’s through and through. Which was what made his appearance at the McCall house that much more confusing.

“I, uh,” Isaac said sounding unsure, “I guess we should get ready for bed.”

Isaac ran a[ hand through his hair](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m8s0t8JiPy1rau5fao1_r2_500.gif), his shoulders slouched forward, like he was not sure if Scott was going to get mad at his suggestion. It was clear that the taller boy had not had an easy night.

“Yeah,” Scott agreed, not wanting to push it. “There is an extra toothbrush under the sink. And I bet my mom left you a towel to wash up with.”

“Cool,” Isaac said, turning to open the door and make his way to the bathroom.

Scott reached out and placed his hand on Isaac’s shoulder again. Isaac was more relaxed than before, the laughter had done him good. But even loosened up, his muscles were knotted and tense. The touch seemed to surprise him and Isaac’s breath hitched for just second.

Sometimes Scott loved the powers that came with being a werewolf and sometimes he hated them. This was one of the times he wished he did not have heightened senses. Because if he were any other boy, he would not have heard Isaac’s heart speed up and start to beat frantically, like he was scared. He would not have noticed the change in how Isaac held himself.

But Isaac seemed to get a hold of himself and calm down fairly quickly. He turned and gave Scott a questioning look.

“I am glad you are here,” Scott said honestly and simply.

“Me too,” Isaac said, meeting Scott’s eyes only briefly, before opening the door and hurrying out.

What Scott saw in that instant, when their eyes met, had been too big for words. Stirring in the depths of Isaac’s[ blue eyes](http://i1180.photobucket.com/albums/x411/heather_76/fannish/cheekbones_isaac.jpg) had been strong emotion. Amid all those shades of indigo and sky, Scott thought he saw something important. Trust. Isaac trusted Scott.

The thought made Scott’s heart swell, just a little.

+++

Scott smiled a lot, it was the one thing that really unnerved Isaac about Scott. None of the other wolves smiled that much – not Derek, Boyd, Erica (before), or Peter; though if he had a life like Scott’s maybe he’d smile more, too.

They got ready for bed in comfortable silence. When Scott turned off his bedside lamp he had whispered “good night” to the ceiling. His tone was warm and it filled Isaac with a sort of peace. Isaac wasn’t sure when he fell asleep, he had been staring into Scott’s darkened room for what felt like hours. Part of him wanted to get up, jump out the window, run back to Derek and beg him to take him back; but he halted those feelings. Derek had kicked him out and he was safe here, safe with Scott.

Perhaps that was the moment he allowed himself to dream.

_The woods smelled like wet oak and fresh dirt. The ground under his paws was wet and mud flew up in spray behind him as he ran. It felt good to run, the pads of his paws meeting the ground, his fur moving in the wind, like he controlled the wind, like he was the wind._

_He was searching for something._

_The realization came over him suddenly and he knew he had to find that thing –_ everything _depended on it. He began to search for it frantically, smelling the air like Argent had told him to._

There _, he had it – due west and it was moving._ Fuck, _it smelled heavenly – musky and ripe like a bruised apple, the sugar just coming to the surface. Isaac turned his run into a fevered gallop, his swift wolf legs folding under him as he flew over turf and roots – nothing could touch him. He could feel his brown-blonde coat getting caked with mud; it felt spiritual, it felt right._

_Then suddenly the smell was gone. Isaac twisted in the air, his lithe wolf body turning and landing on his feet, facing back the way he had come. It was there in front of him, but all Isaac could see was dense brush. Green over green so stacked together that it was deeper than darkness._

_Isaac didn't care that those bushes hadn't been there before, or that the the brush seemed an endless tangle of branches, leaves, and thorns; Isaac only cared about the smell, the_ thing, _that he needed. He pushed on, the branches whipping into his eyes as he moved through the brush, overwhelming in number, stinging his fragile flesh. He threw up his hands to protect himself , unable to see where he was going, until he walked out into a clearing._

_It was like seeing himself from a distance, from the moon itself. He wasn't a wolf anymore, he was human; his naked flesh was scratched and cut, small trails of blood running from his legs, his hips, his arms - running like biblical rivers of Egypt on his moonlit white skin._

_He stood in the middle of the clearing, unmoving except for small rise in his chest from shallow breathing. He looked like a sacrifice, like bait. He heard a growl - snap! - he was back in his own body._

_It was cold in the clearing, but he made no attempt to cover himself. A giant black wolf, with crimson red eyes, came from the brush. It's mouth hung open, the Alpha's teeth sharp and dangerous. Isaac was scared, but remained still. The wolf reminded him of Gmork, herald of the_ Nothing _, whom was sent to kill the young warrior Atreyu -- had this wolf been sent to kill him?_

_The wolf howled and Isaac felt drawn to the wolf - like a sailor to a Siren's call. Isaac had taken one step towards the monster when another dark wolf came rushing from the other side of the clearing, this one brown, his eyes amber. Isaac stopped immediately - the smell of apples was back._

_The new wolf snarled at the Alpha as he closed in on Isaac. Suddenly there, the wolf licked at the blood on his calves, cleaning and healing the wounds. The muzzle was wet and warm, the fur soft beneath his hands - Isaac closed his eyes._

_"You look cold."_

_Isaac's eyes flashed open to meet Scott's chocolate eyes. They were the same height. Isaac was confused and, looking down, noticed the other boy was naked, naked and standing very close to him._

_"You're naked..." Isaac's voice sounded wrong in his ears._

_"So are you." Scott's smirk made him want to laugh, this whole night was outrageous, had he really been a wolf?_

_"Yeah, but why?"_

_Scott frowned and lifted his arms, swinging a wolf pelt over Isaac's shoulders. He was warm and the pelt was so soft -- "You looked cold."   Scott's hands were still holding the edges of the pelt, it was almost a hug, almost an embrace - it felt oddly intimate._

_A low growl came from the left. Isaac had forgotten the other wolf -- as he turned, the black beast lunged. Isaac screamed as the bite sunk into his side._

With a start, Isaac woke from a dream of gnashing teeth and flying fur. His heart was beating fast, pounding hard, like it might push through his rib cage and out of his chest. There was a growling whine in the room, loud and scared. It was not[ until Isaac gulped for air](http://worldofwonder.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/tumblr_mpof7bIFlm1qar6tno1_500.gif) that he realized the yell was coming from him.

He sat up on the futon, taking a few deep breaths, still panting hard from his nightmare. With each lungful of air, he willed himself to calm down, to get a hold of himself. The nightmare was fading from his mind with each second.

Isaac was losing sight of what he had seen, what had gone on in his head. All that was left were flashes, images, that did not connect. The feel of hard-packed dirt under his feet, of the cool night breeze ruffling his hair. Or was it his fur? He shook his head to clear it and let out a sigh. It did not matter, not really, it was only in his mind.

It was still dark out, still the night, too early to be awake. A glance to the clock on Scott’s bedside table showed that it was only 3am. With another deep exhalation, Isaac flopped back down into the pile of pillows on his bed. Maybe he could try and go back to sleep? He shuddered involuntarily. No, Isaac had enough nightmares in his life to know that it was useless. He would not be getting any more rest that night. The very idea of closing his eyes sent a chill down his back.

“Are you alright?” came a voice from the dark of the room. Scott.

“I am fine,” Isaac said, his voice coming out a little scratchy and not nearly as sure as he wanted it to sounds. “It was just a nightmare.”

There was a beat and then, sounding worried, Scott said, “You were screaming, calling out.”

“I am sorry,” Isaac said, assuming this was a complaint. It was not being a very good houseguest to yell in the middle of the night. He ran his[ hands through his hair](http://images5.fanpop.com/image/photos/31800000/Daniel-Sharman-interview-daniel-sharman-31821247-500-280.gif) in frustration, he had done wrong, again. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“Right,” Scott agreed, “I didn’t think you did it on purpose.” The way he said it made it sound so obvious, like it was silly of Isaac to have ever even thought it. “What happened?”

Faint traces of the scent of apple drifted through his mind, but nothing concrete. “I don’t remember.”

“No, not in the nightmare,” Scott said. “What happened to you tonight?”

“Oh,” Isaac said, a sinking feeling in stomach. He lapsed into silence as he thought of an answer. So much had happened and he understood so little of it. What could he say to Scott? That Derek had kicked him out, without a reason or an explanation? That Derek had thrown a cup, the glass shattering over his head, fragments raining down onto him. And in that moment Isaac had flashed back to his father, to the terrible things his father had done to him. So Isaac ran out, without so much as going to get his favorite scarf.

Just ran.

It was not something he was proud of. It was not something he wanted to share, not really. It hurt. Even if none of the glass had cut him, even if he was a werewolf who could heal quickly. It still hurt.

By the time he had come to his senses he was outside, in the rain, soaked through. And Isaac knew going back to get his things, it would be even worse. It was not even an option to consider. So he had come to the one person he still trusted, Scott.

He must have taken a second too long, thinking about what he wanted to say, because Scott spoke again. “If you don’t want to tell me, I understand.”

"Derek - " he started and swallowed, "Derek said - " It was suddenly hard to talk, hard to think. Isaac didn't know what it was, if it was because the dream was still so close to the surface of his mind or if it was because in the darkness he couldn't see the walls of the room and it reminded him of - no that was best left packed away, in a different box. A werewolf that was scared of the dark, ridiculous.

"Hey, hey now." Scott was in front of him, leaning over him, his hands floating over his chest but not touching. He was having a panic attack, Isaac realized, a full-blown panic attack. He tried to breathe, tried to concentrate on the curl of Scott's eyelashes and the warm brown of his eyes, but he couldn't - the black kept pulling him in. Scott's mouth was moving, but he couldn't hear him. All he heard was glass shattering, the tinkle and crash as it hit cement, and the air-tight slam of a heavy metal door shutting him in.

"ISAAC!" Scott's amber eyes lit up the room, tearing away at the darkness, leaving Isaac found. He was drenched in sweat, but he was breathing normally now, long deep breathes that filled his chest and made him feel human again. Scott was sniffing the air around his head, as if smelling for fear or ... Scott, he realized suddenly, thought he was injured.

"No, I'm fine. Sorry about... thanks, I mean." Isaac's heart was beating fast as Scott stopped his search, his face only inches from his own. Isaac swallowed softly, he couldn't stop looking at Scott.

"Are you sure? You aren't in pain?" Scott's voice was soft and sincere and it made Isaac smile. Scott and his fucking messiah complex, always trying to save everyone.

"Yeah, man, I'm sure."

"Ok, good. Well, I'm going to..." Scott looked at Isaac then back to his bed and then back at Isaac before pulling away - leaving Isaac's personal space - and retreating back to his bed.

Isaac breathed out, Scott's scent of cinnamon, over-ripened apples and evergreen already dissipating, and felt the sharp pain of regret and the soft wash of relief. He closed his eyes and thought of Danny, Lydia, and the twins, and whether they were in danger - anything to distract him from the thoughts of Derek, his dad, and Scott.

Scott's thick duvet cover, his sheets and a host of other blankets tumbled down from the bed.

"Move over."

Isaac dodged the next volley of pillows and moved to the opposite edge of the queen-sized futon mattress. "You don't have to do that,  it's really not necessary - " Isaac was silenced when Scott's very naked upper body peered at him from over the side of the bed. He really couldn't help but notice that Scott had a phenomenal upper body. Isaac didn't think there was a single guy in the locker room who hadn't noticed Scott's abs - either from interest or jealousy (or in his case,  both).

Scott smiled,  warm and fiendish at the same time,  his dark eyes crinkling at the corners. Scott's strong arms flexed - the muscles shifting and tightening under satin soft skin - and vaulted him upwards as he back-flipped onto the mountain of bed clothes piled next to him on the futon mattress.

+++

Scott was not sure if it was the bright flash of light that struck through his closed eyelids like a lightning bolt on a dark sky, or the clicking noise that accompanied it, that woke him from a deep and restful slumber. Either way he was awake now. Scott had never been good at doing things halfway, so if he was no longer sleeping, there was no reason to dally.

His eyes flew open, flashing yellow with annoyance at whatever had woken him up. He looked around himself, unconsciously checking his surroundings for danger or trouble. Given the life he had been leading for the past year, there was no such thing as too cautious.

Unlike most mornings, he was not in his own bed, although he was in his room. Just, on the floor, on the futon. With Isaac. Suddenly, the events of the night before came rushing back to him. Isaac showing up at his door, wet and unhappy. Isaac waking him up in the middle of the night, screaming. Isaac having a panic attack, not being ready to talk about it. And Scott jumping into bed with him.

They hadn’t done anything, they had barely touched at all, from what Scott could remember. Actually, before Scott had fallen asleep, there had been a sort of awkward shuffling. Neither boy totally relaxing, being careful to move in small ways, without contacting the other. It was childish. But, as Scott often had to remind himself, no matter what happened to them and how much responsibility got heaped up on their plate, no matter how many times they saved the town or even the world, they were still kids. They were in high school. It was okay for them to be unsure.

Something had changed in the night, however, because Scott was no long alone on his side of the bed. As soon as he opened his eyes, he had seen it. He and Isaac had shifted during the night. Now they were entwined together, a tangle of arms and legs, limbs thrown over each other, so that one body was indistinguishable from the other.

Scott also realized that his left arm was totally asleep because of this strange sleeping position. Isaac was still asleep, so he extracted his arm as carefully as he could, rolling his body just a little, so that he had room to shake it out.

That was when Scott realized where the noise and light that had woken him up had come from.

Standing over the bed was Stiles,[ with a stupid grin on his face](http://31.media.tumblr.com/6b85123960e8f0f7b48e7da6f92e9b5e/tumblr_mr23z2jGWm1s00nlxo1_500.jpg). And he was holding his phone, clearly having just taken a picture.

“Smile,” Stiles said, his own smile reaching all the way up to his eyes. Scott did not smile, his face contorted into a confused look. Then Stiles clicked another photo of Scott and Isaac on the futon. “I think I might submit this one to the yearbook.”

“Stiles!” Scott growled, his voice still low and thick with sleep.

Stiles sounded like he was about to burst out in laughter. “The people need to know. Who knew werewolves were so…” he searched for the right word for a moment before landing on, “cuddly.”

“Stiles,” Scott said again, this time some warning creeping into his voice, “give me that phone.” He reached out and tried to grab it from Stiles’ hand. But Stiles was standing and Scott was still lying on a bed on the ground. He could not reach.

“No,” Stiles said gleefully, holding the phone over his head, even farther out of the way.

“Give it to me,” Scott was practically whining.

Stiles stuck out his tongue. “If you want it so badly, why don’t you take it from me.”

Then, almost at once, Scott jumped up from the bed, removing himself from around Isaac in a single swift and wolf-like motion. He landed smoothly on the ground in a crouched position. He grinned up at Stiles. “Run.” Stiles ran.

Scott chased Stiles out of the room, down the hall. He could have caught up with him in a second. He could have jumped and grabbed the phone from where Stiles was still holding it over his head, even as he ran. Instead he took his time, stalking after his best friend. This was fun.

They ran down the stairs and into the kitchen. Stiles pushed open the door a second before Scott got there. And when Scott arrived, he saw Stiles run a small circle around Scott’s mom, ending up behind her. Like he was trying to hide. Stiles was taller than her, by enough that there was really nothing that Scott could not see.

“Good morning, Mrs. McCall,” Stiles said, fidgeting behind Melissa, trying to find an optimal position to hide in. Melissa smiled fondly, used to their antics.

“Good morning, boys.” Scott smiled, preditorialy following Stiles with his eyes, as his mom ignored Stiles and continued going about making breakfast. Every movement she made causing Stiles to duck or weave to remain safely behind her. “ _Stiles,_ why are you hiding from my _son?_ ”

“Hiding?” he said, his voice rising an octave, “Who says I am hiding?” Scott took a step towards his best friend, a growl rumbling low in his throat, and Stiles yelped jumping to the side to crouch in the corner - mostly hidden by Melissa’s legs.  “This isn’t hiding, this is protecting evidence - _important_ evidence.”

Scott growled again and his mother gave him a _look_. “What evidence?”

“That werewolves are cuddlier than newborn sloths and newborn sloths are made to cuddle! Have you seen the [video?”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-Zfozy7gGI)

Melissa smiled, a devious twinkle in her eye. “Scott and Isaac were cuddling?”

“It was adorable. I had to preserve the moment for prosperity.”

“Give me the phone, Stiles.”  Scott thought his voice sounded dangerous, but both of the humans across the kitchen barely blinked.

“Not on your life, McCall!”

Melissa looked down at Stiles, “Stiles, can I see the picture?”

“Do you swear not to give the phone to Scott? ‘Cause this pictures needs to be saved for all time, or at least until first period,  and you should see it, but only if you swear.”

“I swear.”  Stiles handed his mom the phone and her smile grew ten times, her white teeth bared in a laughing grin. “Awww, you two make a cute couple.”

Stiles had finally gotten the guts to stand up and was now next to Melissa. “Aren’t they the cutest?” He said pouting, pulling faces, and generally being _Stiles._

“Seriously, guys, come on.” Scott wanted to make sure that picture was deleted not for his sake, but for Isaac’s. Isaac didn’t seem the touchy-feely type and he really didn’t want him feeling unsafe in his house because of his annoying best friend who never knocks.

“Just one second, hon.” His mom’s fingers started to press some buttons on the screen and Scott smirked.

“No, what are you doing, Mrs. McCall!” Melissa handed the phone back to Stiles, but Scott could see from the look on his face that no matter where he scrolled the photos were gone. “You promised!”

Going back to her eggs, plating them to the side, Melissa replied, “I promised to not give Scott the phone. I didn’t. Really, Stiles, but now you should know rule number two - never get in the way between a mother and her cub.”

Stiles pocketed his phone, already over the loss, curiosity on his face. “What’s rule number one?”

“Parents always lie.” She winked and turned to Scott. “Go get Isaac, the food is almost done.”

“I’m, uh, actually right here.” Scott turned to see Isaac coming around the corner.  He was still sleep-creased and bed-rumpled, his blond curls springing in all different directions. Seeing Scott’s attention Isaac ran his fingers through his hair and Scott turned to walk into the kitchen. Shit. How long had he been there?

“Come on, Isaac, you don’t want to miss my mom’s breakfast - it might change your life.” 

“Or make you terribly ill.” Melissa joked passing the plates to Scott. 

“One or the other - care to test which one?”

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> We just had feels after "Unleashed" and had no idea what to do with them, so we wrote this. If you made it this far - I hope you liked it! And thank you to our Beta, Shira, who will yell at me for not looking up the code to put in her AO3 link. We love you, and I swear I will get to it after temple.


End file.
